Giorgia Meloni unveils burka ban in bid to protect Italy from 'Islamic separatism'

She told supporters she would soon introduce a Bill to "establish by law a maximum number of foreign students per class, require parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties with integration at school to learn Italian and ban the burka and niqab in the classroom".

"It is unthinkable that, in an Italian classroom, it is the Italian children who feel they have become a minority," she added.

"In our view, anyone who comes to Italy to build a future here must learn our language, understand our culture and respect our rules."

Her proposal received support from Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage who said he completely agreed with the Italian Prime Minister.

Mr Farage said: "Under a Reform UK Government, all face coverings will be banned.

"No ifs, no buts. This is Britain, we show our faces."

Around 930,000 non-Italian students are currently enrolled in the country's schools, representing almost 11.6 per cent of the school population, according to research institute Fondazione ISMU.

Giorgia Meloni said it was unthinkable Italian children 'feel they have become a minority'

REUTERS

Ms Meloni said: "You must go to school with your face uncovered... In Italy no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself."

Ms Meloni did not elaborate on what the maximum number of foreign students would be in the classroom.

Her country currently has a 30 per cent cap on foreign pupils, but this limit has often gone unenforced.

Angelo Bonelli, an MP for the Green and Left Alliance, condemned Ms Meloni and instead ordered her to pay teachers more.

He said: "The truth is that the Prime Minister is not at all interested in how schools work. Our teachers' salaries are among the lowest in Europe."

Giorgia Meloni unveiled the plan at Fenix, an annual youth event organised by FdI

REUTERS

In 2025, Ms Meloni's FdI put forward a Bill to ban the burka and niqab in all public spaces in response to combat "Islamic separatism, religious radicalisation and religiously motivated hatred".

Anyone wearing the garments in schools, universities, shops and offices will face fines of over £2,500 if it is passed.

The law would also ban virginity testing and make religious forced marriages punishable by law.

"The law against Islamic separatism represents a necessary step to protect Italian identity, the safety of citizens, and the freedom of women," her party said in a statement as it announced the crackdown last year.

The 2025 legislation is still under consideration in Italy's lower house.

"It's not about limiting religious freedom, but about preventing it from being exploited to justify practices incompatible with the principles of our constitution and our society.

Angelo Bonelli, an Italian Green and Left Alliance MP, accused Ms Meloni of being 'not at all interested in how schools work'

WIKIMEDIA / CANALE UFFICIALE

"We want to intervene against Islamic separatism, a phenomenon manifested through the creation of enclaves where sharia law prevails over Italian law.

"While not at the same level as France, worrying signs are beginning to emerge in Italy too."

France passed a similar ban on all face coverings in 2011 - while countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland have imposed some form of ban.

The European Court of Human Rights has upheld these bans, backing Belgium's in 2017 and ruling that states may restrict the veils to protect "living together" in society.

Last year, Reform UK's Sarah Pochin led her party's fury on the issue when she raised it to Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs.

Ms Pochin went on to back Ms Meloni, telling the Express: "I fully support Georgia Meloni's call for a ban on the burka and niqab in public spaces. Italy is following the lead of many other countries who put the security of their citizens first."